In My Veins
by Vivi39
Summary: Set during 3x21 "Before Sunset" – What if instead of going home, Caroline decided to visit the Mikealson mansion?
1. Chapter 1

In My Veins

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended.

**Chapter 1**

"_It's okay. It's okay. It's me. It's okay. You're safe. – We'll save Elena. You go straight home, you stay inside. Do you understand? – Do you understand me?"_

His words kept replaying in her mind over and over again as she rushed outside to her car. Picking up her keys, she looked over her shoulder at the building. She knew that she promised him to go home but she couldn't do it. No, she would leave this place but she wouldn't go home. This little moment they just had showed her that he really cared for her. And to her immense shock, it showed her that she also cared about him. This realization brought her to drive to a place that she never thought she would willingly go to.

It only took her five minutes to drive to her destination although it should have taken her at least ten. In this case, however, she was much too frightened to think about the pretense she had to fulfill as the sheriff's daughter. Not caring about any speed limits and traffic lights she sped to his house – no not his house, his mansion. This place was huge.

She went inside and saw that he really had planned to leave Mystic Falls behind. The thought saddened her. She didn't want to think about the reason for her emotions so she went to the room where he kept his drawings to see if he had put everything away already. On her way there she realized that only one picture was left hanging in his living room. The drawing which she had touched that night of the ball as she had realized that he was an artist – a pretty decent one at as well.

Surprised that he would hang up and leave the picture she had touched that night, she stopped for a second. Thinking about him she didn't realize that somebody was standing right behind her until that person spoke: "Care? – What are you doing here? I thought you were at the school cleaning up", Tyler's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Turning around as if her mom had just caught her with the hand in the cookie jar as she was five years old, she faced Tyler and stammered her response. "Tyler! Uhm… No. I'm not. Not anymore… Uh… Rebekah and I finished already and she told me to come and hang out… But I guess she's not here… yet."Caroline was surprised that she was able to lie that easily all of the sudden. That was very untypical of her. However, her lying abilities weren't convincing enough.

Tyler didn't believe her since Rebekah had stormed out of the house just an hour earlier. "Really? – Because just an hour ago she ran out of here as if the devil himself was after her", was Tyler's skeptical answer. Caroline had no comeback to that one. Now she knew that she would have to tell him the truth. "…well, you see… uh", was all she could say.

"I see, Caroline. You actually do have feelings for him, don't you? That's why you're here. To see him and go behind my back, right? – I bet you were screwing him as soon as I had left. I knew it – you didn't change after all. You are still the slut from the beginning of high school!" Tyler was shouting at her. "Screwing every guy, who glances at you for more than one second! – You know what? I'm outta here. Screw you! Oh and tell your new fucking buddy that I'm not his little bitch anymore!" With that Tyler turned around and left the house.

All Caroline could do in reaction to his accusations was to stare at his retreating back with a gaping mouth. As soon as her shock wore off, she shouted:"Yes, just go! Do what you do best! But I am not a slut! I don't know why I ever felt more for you than a platonic friendship!" She wouldn't sink to his level and call him names.

As soon as she heard the front door closing she let out the sobs that had been trying to break out since Alaric, her favorite teacher and good friend, had vamp-napped her that morning. It was all too much for her. Being tortured once again, being rescued by not only Elena but also by Klaus of all people and realizing in that moment that she cared for him as well and now Tyler breaking up with her – it was all too much for her.

After there were no more tears left, she decided that she would clean herself up. She didn't want to wait here for him in the clothes in which she had been tortured. Half an hour later, she found herself in his drawing room with one of his shirts and sweatpants on. Her still wet hair from the shower that she shamelessly took in his bathroom hung loosely around her shoulders as she sat on the ground in front of his drawings.

She marveled about the contradiction that was him – that he was capable to paint such beauty when he was also able to inflict such evil things on other people. But she still couldn't get herself to leave this building to go home and be restless there – here she at least felt safe from any harm. Although her rational mind told her that she was the exact opposite here in his mansion since only vampires lived here and so Alaric wouldn't need an invitation. At her house she would be safe from Alaric. Still, she remained were she was, sitting on the ground looking at the room that wasn't packed up yet and waiting for him to come home.

At some point she heard the front door being opened. Caroline now felt the first doubts if she did the right thing by coming here. Should she just leave now or stay and talk to him? The sound of a beating heart made up her mind. She rushed to where she heard him pace around the house. The scene she saw shocked her more than anything in her life did to that point – which was saying a lot considering she lived in Mystic Falls.

Klaus was tying Elena up to a chair without noticing Caroline standing in the doorway. "What the _hell_ do you think you are doing?" she screeched at him.

Hey guys,

This is my first attempt at writing something. Tell me if I should continue this story or not. And if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes – please bear with me. English is not my first language.

Thanks for reading and please review if you have a second.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__**I don't own the Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended.**_

**Hey guys. Thank you so much for reviewing :) and of course thanks for all the favorites and alerts. They made my week ;)**

**Enjoy. :)**

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**Chapter 2**

Klaus stopped before turning around and looking at her. The sight of Caroline in his clothes made him falter for such a short moment that Caroline didn't even have a chance to notice. After composing himself he asked her:"What are you doing here, love? Didn't I tell you to go straight _home_?"

"Yeah, well – now I am here" Caroline replied icily. "More important is why you're binding Elena to the chair!" She glared at him while crossing her arms across her chest and jutting her hip out waiting for his explanation.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, sweetheart" was his cryptic answer.

"Oh no. Don't you 'sweetheart' me! Answer me – What. Do. You. Want. With. Elena. Tied. To. A. Chair?" With that she determinedly walked up to him to stare into his eyes until he would relent and tell her his reasons for his actions. Klaus just stared back without blinking not showing any emotions. His mind however was racing. What was she doing here? Why did she have to decide _now_ of all times to be headstrong and stubborn? – And most importantly why on earth was she wearing his clothes? – Not that he was complaining.

"I have no idea why I should justify my actions to you, love" Klaus' voice was on the verge of becoming dangerously low while he crossed his arms across his chest.

"And don't you 'love' me right now, either!" Caroline's exasperation showed by her pointing a finger at him. "Why do you always have to do that?" she asked him while throwing her hands in the air angrily. "Do something nice and then follow it up with something evil? – Just so that your reputation doesn't get damaged?" she knew that he could snap her neck any minute but somehow she also knew that he wouldn't dare to hurt her either, judging from the experiences she had with him. "I don't even know why I cared enough about you to see if you were alive…" Caroline whispered while slightly shaking her head and casting her eyes to the floor with her arms hanging limply at her sides.

At her murmured words his eyes became softer and his determination to not let her get in the way of his plans vanished. Why was a baby vampire of all people able to mess with him like this? The powerful, indestructible hybrid, who never in his thousand years could have been swayed by even his siblings to not carry out his plans, was influenced by a few simple words about his wellbeing by this young vampire. – How was this possible? Did she really care about him or did she only say that to break through to him. To let him get his guard down so that she was able to rescue her friend from being drained of her blood. Either way, he didn't want to push his luck in gaining Caroline's care by not letting her help Elena. He would have to find another way to eliminate the threat of the vampire vampire-hunter while securing the ability to build his hybrid army.

With those thoughts he let his arms fall to his side while stepping out of the way so that Caroline could unbind her friend. Elena only stirred and muttered something unintelligible. "Sh. It's okay. It's me. It's okay. You're safe" mumbled Caroline. The irony wasn't lost on her that she used the exact same words Klaus had used to comfort her earlier on in the day. But they were the only ones she could think of in that moment.

Klaus was staring at the back of her head, hearing her mutter his words to Elena and didn't know what to make of it. Obviously, if she uttered those words to one of her best friends, they must have helped her earlier on as well. The thought gave him hope that not all was lost.

Caroline turned around to tell Klaus of her plan. "Ok, I'm gonna bring Elena back home, make sure Jeremy is there for her and then-" here, Caroline paused for dramatic effect, "-I'll deal with you."

"No, you're not going alone! You do realize that that history teacher turned psycho-vampire-hunter is on the loose? And that the sun is about to set? Giving him the possibility to attack you? I'm not going to let you go alone" was his immediate response. He wouldn't let her out of his sight now. He would protect her even if she didn't want him to.

Caroline stared at him for a few moments before she realized that he wouldn't let her go alone. She huffed before declaring, "Fine. You can come and make sure that I am alright as well." His answering smirk was enough proof to her that he knew that not all was lost. Not yet at least.

xxx

Sitting cross legged on her bed Caroline faced Klaus who was pacing her room, every so often looking out of the window. After having dropped off Elena, both knew that if they would go back to his mansion they would be in danger there. At her house however, they would be safe seeing as Alaric was not invited in, she and Klaus on the other hand were.

"Could you stop branding a hole into my floor, please? You're freaking me out", was the first thing Caroline said since they arrived half an hour earlier. At her request, Klaus stopped wandering around and sat down on her chair close to the window still on the lookout.

A small smile accompanied with a quiet "Thank you" was his reward.

"So tell me, Caroline. Why did you go to my house and not home like I told you to?" was his attempt at distracting himself from the fact that Alaric was still out there looking for him and his family.

"Well,… you see… uh", she knew that she was too chicken to tell him that she actually cared about him twice in a day. The slip up from earlier on needed to be repaired. So that's why she tried to lie: "I wanted to see if Rebekah came out alive from the school."

Klaus just sent her a disbelieving look. "You tell yourself that, Caroline. But you and I both know that is not the honest answer to my question." His penetrating gaze never left her face – he was awaiting honest answers from her. "Ugh."Caroline huffed out of frustration. Why couldn't he just let it rest and ignore the fact that she waited for him at his house?

The silence that surrounded them was full of unspoken truths. After a few minutes Caroline couldn't bear the deafening sound of quietness and spoke up. "Ok, you want to know the truth?" he nodded and sat up straighter. Muttering under her breath, she said: "Here goes nothing." before continuing in her normal voice.

"You see, as you told me to go home I realized that you truly care about me. Instead of using me as a bait –" Caroline was interrupted by him. "I would _never_ use you as bait. You have to know that, Caroline." In response she just stared at him and carried on "- or wanting me to stay there as extra vampire muscle against Ric, you sent me home to make sure that I was safe. If you were just the big bad hybrid I always thought you were, you would have done one of those things. After I realized this I grasped that I to some small extent at least – which I still think is crazy by the way – do care for you."

All Klaus could do was stare at this beautiful creature wondering what he did in his life to deserve her caring about him. Averting her eyes from his face, Caroline carried on wanting to finish her confession. "And that's why I went to your house instead of going home. I wanted to make sure you would come out of this alive as well." Shyly, she looked back at him to gauge his reaction.

The surprise and pure happiness that washed over Klaus in that moment was something he never experienced before in his long existence until then. That she confessed caring about him twice in a day, although one of those times had been by accident, made him delighted. That finally, after all his wooing for this baby vampire it made her care for him – even if it was only on a small level. That she cared enough about him to make sure he was alive. It astonished him. The small but hopeful smile he wore on his face as he stood up and took a few hesitant steps towards her made it obvious to her that she just opened up to him and let him in.

But he recovered quickly by asking her with his smooth voice: "Thank you for your honesty. But I'd like to know one more thing – why on earth are you wearing my clothes?" His small smile let her know that he enjoyed seeing her in them but she still was embarrassed to tell him the whole truth.

She shrugged so as to not make a big deal out of the fact that she was wearing the clothes of her supposed-to-be-enemy. "Oh, that's simple. My clothes reeked of vervain and only reminded me of what happened in that classroom. That's why I took the liberty of showering in your bathroom and taking some of your clothes. I figured you wouldn't rip my head of – unlike your sister." Klaus had to crack a smile at her confession, especially since she was right about Rebekah's very possible reaction to someone else wearing her clothes.

However, Caroline didn't tell him about the fact that she also chose to put his clothes on because of the feeling she got while wearing them. The overpowering smell of him on his clothes made her feel as if she was back in the hallway where he had put his strong arms around her in a protecting manner. She felt safe again. As if he would protect her from any harm that could come her way.

"And why aren't you changing out of them now? I mean you are in your room – you have your whole wardrobe here. Why not change into your own clothes?", he wanted to know what she was thinking in that moment but was also cautious as to not push her too far by making assumptions.

She didn't respond for a few moments because she actually had to think about it. "I guess it's because they are comfortable. Way more comfortable than my own sweatpants could ever be", she shrugged to show that she didn't put much thought into wearing his shirt and sweatpants, which she didn't think he would possess, seeing as they were so different from what he was always wearing in the public.

By now Klaus had reached her bed. She didn't even realize him coming closer until he sat down right beside her. Positioning herself in his direction so that she could look at him more closely she suddenly blurted out with something that had been bothering her for a few hours now.

"Why aren't you calling me 'love' or 'sweetheart' anymore?" as soon as she let the question out of her mouth she regretted it deeply. Especially as she saw his smirk that built up even more as she looked away embarrassed. His low chuckle at her actions made her even more furious than she already was at herself.

"Wasn't it you who told me earlier to not call you that?" was his verbal response. She only looked away without knowing what to say. Softly he reached his hand out to touch her cheek to turn her face to his again so that he could look into her eyes while asking: "Would you like me to call you 'love' or 'sweetheart' again, Caroline?"

Caroline felt so many things in that moment – starting with frustration at herself for even asking such a stupid question, confusion why she even asked him about it, why she couldn't be satisfied that he stopped calling her the endearments but most of all she felt confused as to why she wanted him to call her 'love' or 'sweetheart' again. And why did his hand feel so good on her skin? Why didn't she move away from his touch but instead leaned more into it?

The sound of somebody knocking on her front door interrupted her from saying or doing something even more stupid in that moment.

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**I hope you enjoyed reading. ;) If you have a minute please leave a review – they make my day :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own the Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Thank you so much for your lovely reviews. They always put a smile on my face. :) I hope you enjoy reading ;)**_

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**Chapter 3**

On her way to the door, Caroline was still thinking about the situation she had just fled from in her room a few seconds ago. What did just happen? – Did I seriously enjoy his touch? Seriously? This _cannot_ be true! Ugh… And why did I decide to tell _Klaus_ of all people that I care about him? Why do I care about him anyways? Because I definitely do _not_!

As Caroline arrived at the door, she saw her mother already opening it to their guest, who was grinning from ear to ear. "Kol Mikaelson. Pleasure to meet you, Sheriff Forbes. Would you be so kind as to let me in?"

Her mother took on a protective stance. "Really. And why would I do that? Obviously, you are an Original. And the only safety I have right now is because you aren't invited in."

"Sheriff Forbes, I understand that in this small crazy town of yours you would be suspicious very easily – but rest assured I mean you and your family no harm", answered Kol with his hands in the air while trying to look innocent. Glancing behind the Sheriff the vampire said addressing Caroline: "Darling, why don't you tell your lovely mother here that I am harmless and to let me in?"

"Well, I wouldn't call you harmless after what you did to Matt – but Kol is okay, Mom. Really. Actually he is here to help us", was Caroline's explanation with her arms crossed across her chest. Liz looked back at her to assure herself if it really was safe to trust this vampire in front of her. Her daughter's eyes showed her that it was and so she said: "You may come in."

Stepping over the threshold with a winning grin, Kol held out his hand for the Sheriff to take. Liz did so only hesitantly. "Once again, it is such a pleasure to meet you, Sheriff Forbes", Kol pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand. Going a few steps in Caroline's direction he addressed her: "Caroline, darling. So great to see you again."

"Huh uh", Caroline's grumbling didn't help her to get over the irritation at Kol trying to be charming when all she knew was that she didn't really trust him – but was forced to do so under the circumstances.

"Caroline, what is going on here? You said that he is here to help. Help with what?", Liz was confused and demanded answers.

"Sheriff Forbes, I'd say we all have a problem thanks to Esther", Klaus said, casually strolling into the hall. Liz whirled around surprised that not only one but two Originals were in her house. Turning on Caroline with a raised eyebrow, she asked: "So can I expect to have every supernatural being from Mystic Falls in my house tonight or something like that?"

Smiling in a sheepish way at her mother, Caroline replied: "Uhm, only the Originals…" Liz just looked at her daughter to see if she was joking or not.

"I am sorry that we have to impose on your generosity, Sheriff Forbes. But you see, we wouldn't be safe in our house. That's why we had to come to yours since vampires have to be invited into this lovely home", Klaus tried to rescue Caroline from her mother. Liz looked at him for a second then back at Caroline. "Could I talk to you for a second?"

Nodding, Caroline left the hall with her mother into their kitchen, leaving her the pretense of being alone without prying ears. As soon as the door to the kitchen was closed Liz rounded in on Caroline.

"Why do I have two of the oldest vampires standing in my hallway? And whose clothes are you wearing? Did something happen to you? And why should I invite two more Originals into my house?", Liz bombarded her daughter. Cringing, Caroline tried to explain: "Ok, you know how I went to the school this morning to clean up after the dance?" With a nod her mother answered: "Yes, of course. But I don't see how that is important right now."

"It is. Because Alaric is a vampire now as well - in the end he did turn. And he's not a good guy anymore. Now he's an indestructible vampire who hunts vampires. I know this sounds crazy, Mom but you have to trust me", Caroline tried to comfort her mother. Although Liz looked collected, Caroline could see that her mother was on the verge of freaking out. To any other person the Sheriff would look as if she had everything under control but her daughter knew better.

"And this morning as Rebekah and I cleaned up after the decade dance, we were surprised by Alaric who tried to stake her. But we both could make a run for it – at least until he captured me. To make things short – Elena and Klaus saved me from his torture. And now everybody is trying to find a solution to this problem. That's why Rebekah and Elijah will come here tonight as well. And you'll also have to invite them in – but we can trust them", Caroline hoped her rambled response would be enough for her mother to agree to their plan.

Holding up her hands as if to say 'hold on' Liz looked at her daughter in a concerned way. "Wait, you want to tell me that Alaric Saltzman tortured you? Alaric – the man who is part of the council? Ric – the guy who is Damon's best friend? Mr. Saltzman – your history teacher?"

Cringing, Caroline nodded and added as an explanation. "But I am fine, Mom. Seriously. Nothing too bad. And Mr. Saltzman is not the same guy anymore. Now he's evil. He is not friends with anyone anymore. His sole purpose is to kill all vampires." Elizabeth sent her daughter a wary look. "...Could you do me a favor and drink some blood? Just so I know that you will be fine. Alright?"

Caroline beamed a smile at her mother. "Yes, of course. I'll get some right away." The young vampire tried to make a run for the fridge in the basement to get a blood bag before her mother could confront her about the fact that after this evening all Original vampires would be invited into their house.

Liz stood in front of the kitchen door with squared shoulders so her daughter couldn't escape the room and the interrogation that was due to follow. "Not so fast, young lady. There are still a few more things to discuss. First of all, why should I invite every Original vampire into my house tonight?"

"Because Mr. Saltzman doesn't have a day light ring and right now it isn't safe outside. And their house is open to any vampire since only vampires live there", Caroline tried to convince her mother.

"And why aren't they going to Elena's or Bonnie's house?", asked Liz.

"Well, Elena only trusts Elijah and Bonnie definitely would not invite any vampire into her house other than Abby, myself, Stefan and maybe – which is a big maybe - on a very good day Damon. So the only option left was our home, Mommy", Caroline was bringing out the big guns.

"And tell me again, why are you even protecting them? I mean, they are the oldest vampires. Shouldn't they be able to protect themselves?", Liz wanted to know everything before she would allow any more vampires to enter her house that evening.

Already prepared for this question the bubbly blonde answered: "They are. But Alaric was turned by Esther who made sure that he would be able to kill every Original and with them every vampire that is alive." "Hold on. What do you mean with 'every vampire that is alive'?", the Sheriff was confused.

"Oh, yeah. You don't know that yet. You see, we found out that once an Original vampire is killed every vampire made from their bloodline dies as well. Therefore, if we protect them, we protect every vampire out there, including me", Caroline hoped her rambled response was understandable for her mother.

Processing this information for a few seconds, Liz asked carefully: "…do you know which bloodline you're from?" The younger Forbes woman only shook her head 'no'. "Fine, I will invite them. But only on one condition – they are to not harm any human, witch, vampire, werewolf, hybrid and whatever else there is in Mystic Falls", reprimanded the Sheriff.

"Thank you, Mom. So, can I go and get my blood now?", Caroline was reaching for the door knob when she heard her mother's voice. "One more thing. What the heck are you wearing?" Caroline froze in her spot. She had hoped her Mom would have forgotten this little insignificant question.

The sound of something crashing into a wall was her excuse to not endure the awkward conversation. "Uh, I'm gonna check out what is going on over there", Caroline flashed her mother a sheepish smile and added: "Wouldn't want them to tear down our house."

xxx

Breaking the silence that surrounded the hallway since the Forbes' women left for the kitchen, Kol said: "Brother, how come I find the lovely Caroline in your clothes?", the suggestive tone of his voice and the smirk on his face made it obvious, what Kol thought had occurred.

Growling, Klaus stepped closer to Kol; an action, which made his smirk widen. "Oh, touchy subject. I see." Kol's fun was just beginning. "So, tell me, Nik, is she as good as I think?" In a flash, Klaus had his brother by his neck against the wall. "Guessing from your mood, I'd say I interrupted something…", Kol was still smiling tauntingly at his brother.

"Another word and I won't hesitate to dagger you again", was Klaus' frustrated answer to Kol's teasing. "Oh, brother dear, I know you wouldn't hesitate to do so any other day but seeing as you called me about an emergency and I needed to be here, I somehow doubt you would dagger me today of all days." With another warning growl, Klaus let go of Kol and stepped back.

"You are very fortunate that I don't have a dagger here right now…" Rolling his eyes, Kol said: "Yeah, yeah… same old, same old. So – why am I here? The only things you mentioned on the phone were emergency and the need to protect our family from some kind of danger."

"Not only your family", Caroline said stepping out of the kitchen. "Basically every vampire that's alive is in danger."

Klaus and Kol turned around to face Caroline. "Caroline, dear. Do you want to tell me there is another vampire-hunter out there? Nothing new for us, darling. Already been there thanks to our father", Kol shrugged as if it was no big deal for him that his father had hunted them for over one thousand years.

"Kol, this time the vampire we are talking about is stronger than us and only has one weakness", Klaus turned to his brother with a serious face.

"So? – If we know of this weak spot why not destroy this hunter already and move on? And why would you need me for that?", pausing for a little bit he turned to face Caroline with a small smirk. "…not that I don't like being in your proximity, darling." Caroline rolled her eyes at his attempt to flirt with her.

"Because, if we were to use that weakness we would have to kill one of my best friends– ", Caroline started to explain. Kol opened his mouth to say something. Turning to Kol with a frown on her face Caroline said exasperatedly: "And NO, Kol, we will not kill Elena just for us to be safe. There is always another way. We just have to find it – which is why you are here."

"What? – You want me to do the job of some witch?", Kol pointed a finger at his chest. "That is the reason I left Vegas? Because you want me to find some witch for you? – You got to be kidding me!" He raised his hands to the ceiling while letting his head fall back in annoyance.

Klaus shook his head and said: "No. We already have a witch who is looking into another solution at this moment. But we need all the vampire muscle we can get which includes you, Kol."

Kol shook his head lightly while addressing the blonde female vampire: "Fine. So we will not kill your friend. As long as I get to have a little fun while I'm here. Speaking of… how about we start with that drink? Or would you still rather die of thirst?", Kol's cocky smile only annoyed Caroline, who shook her head in annoyance and went to finally fetch her blood bag.

xxx

"What are we looking for again, Bonnie?", asked Matt, who had only been at the Gilbert house for a few minutes. "Some kind of spell that can hinder Alaric from killing vampires", was Bonnie's answer as she flipped through one of the many grimoires they had lying around on the floor in the living room.

Damon threw away the grimoire he had been looking through until then and declared: "Why are we not trying to desiccate one of the Originals? Preferably Klaus."

Elena gave Damon a warning look. "You know why we can't do that. As Caroline said all of the Originals are on their way to Mystic Falls right now. And if we were to desiccate one of them we would have to deal with three other Originals which you guys won't be able to defeat."

"So? – I already beat Kol twice if I remember correctly. Although I have to say the young Original plays better baseball than you, Jeremy", was Damon's retort. Jeremy just rolled his eyes and continued leafing through the grimoire he was holding.

"And Damon, were we to desiccate one of the Originals who is to say that Alaric wouldn't find the body and stake the vampire? And if that person was the ancestor of our bloodline we would all be dead within a few hours. I am definitely not trusting Klaus on his word that he was the one to create our bloodline", said Stefan.

"But we could store away the body at a safe place where nobody would suspect it to be. And Bonnie could do a spell so that nobody would be able to find the Original. How about that?", Damon did not want to admit that his plan had flaws but was put out by Bonnie who retorted. "Maybe. But I doubt it. After all, everybody can be traced today and let's not forget that there are still many witches out there who could try to sense the magic that I did and find the desiccated vampire that way. So I'd say we are going to rule out your plan, Damon."

Holding up his hands in defeat, the older Salvatore said in a singsong voice: "If you want to use my plan later on all I'm going to say is – I told you so."

Elena only rolled her eyes at Damon's attempt to make his idea seem great, while Stefan glanced at Damon wanting his brother to shut up and try to find some spell that would help them. Bonnie and Jeremy were too immersed in the grimoires to react to Damon's arrogant answer, while Matt sent the vampire an irritated look. Frustrated about not getting a verbal response, Damon walked into the kitchen.

After a few minutes during which only the sound of turning pages could be heard, Matt broke the silence: "…Actually, I don't think Damon's idea is that bad-" In a flash, Damon was standing in the doorway, holding a steaming coffee mug in his hand while a smug smile stretched out on his face. "Thank you, man. I knew you would find that my plan is once again the best there is."

Matt just rolled his eyes and said: "- but I think you should use it on Mr. Saltzman. Why not try to desiccate him again? I mean, as Caroline mentioned the whole Mikaelson family is going to be here tonight. You definitely should have enough strength against him."

"But wouldn't he already guess that we were trying to desiccate him again?", asked Elena. Pondering everything for a while, Stefan said: "No, I don't think so. Matt has a point. We have enough muscle power this time around. And since we already tried to put Alaric to sleep he wouldn't think we were willing to try it again. I'd say this is our safest bet."

"Yes, I agree", Bonnie voiced her opinion. "Are you still up to this, Jer? If not, tell us right away." Jeremy nodded and said: "Yes, definitely. If Elena is linked to Alaric with her life this is the best way she is safe from him and everything else that comes with this."

"Jer, …", started Elena but was interrupted by her brother. "No, Elena. Let me do this. You need to have a great _human_ life. In order to have that you need to be able to stop worrying about supernatural stuff. And that includes worrying about whether one of the Originals is coming to kill you or not. We have to do this spell. And I know Bonnie can do it."

Bonnie smiled a little at Jeremy. "Thanks. So I guess I am going to call Caroline now to let her know that we have a plan." Standing up, Bonnie dialed Caroline's number and walked out of the room.

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_**Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews get me to type faster ;) **_


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